‘The usefulness of these Jones vectors will be demonstrated after Jones matrices representing polarizing clements are also developed. However, at this point itis al- ready possible to calculate the result of the superposition of two or more polarized ‘modes by adding their Jones vectors. The addition of left- and right-circularly polar- ized light, for example, gives (+ [)-027)-6) iJ *|- i-i}* lo or linearly polarized light of twice the amplitude. We conclude that linearly polar- ized light can be regarded as being made up of left- and right-circularly polarized Tight in equal proportions. As another example, consider the superposition of verti- cally and horizontally linearly polarized light in phase: oye 1 o} lt ‘The result is linearly polarized light at 45° inclination. Notice that the addition of or- thogonal components of linearly polarized light is nor unpolarized light, even though Lnpolarized light is often symbolized by such components. There is no Jones vector representing unpolarized or partially polarized light." 14-2 MATHEMATICAL REPRESENTATION OF POLARIZERS: JONES MATRICES Various devices can serve as optical elements that transmit light but modify the state of polarization. The physical mechanisms underlying their operation will be dis- cussed in the next chapter. Here it willbe sufficient to categorize such polarizers in terms of their effects, which are basically three in number. Linear Polarizer. The linear polarizer sclectively removes all or most of the E-vibrations in a given direction, while allowing vibrations in the perpendicular Girection to be transmitted. In most cases, the selectivity is not 100% efficient, so that the transmitted light is partially polarized. Figure 14-8 illustrates the operation schematically. Unpolarized light traveling in the +z-direction passes through a plane polarizer, whose preferential axis of transmission, or transmission axis (TA), is ver- Figure 148 Operation ofa linear polarize. + matrix approach that handles partially polarized light, using 1 % 4 Stokes vectors and 4 x 4 ‘Mueler matrices ean be found in (2) and [3} Sec. 14-2 Mathematical Representation of Polarizers: Jones Matrices 289tical. The unpolarized light is represented by two perpendicular (x and y) vibrations, since any direction of vibration present can be resolved into componenis along these rections. The light transmitted includes components only along the TA direction and is therefore linearly polarized in the vertical, or y-direction. The horizontal ‘components of the original light have been removed by absorption. In the figure, the process is assumed to be 100% efficient. Phase Retarder. The phase retarder does not remove either of the com- mnent orthogonal E-vibrations but introduces a phase difference between them. If light corresponding to each vibration travels with different speeds through such a re- tardavion plate, there will be a cumulative phase difference Ag between the two waves as they emerge. ‘Symbolically, Figure 14-9 shows the effect of a retardation plate on unpolar- ized light in a case where the vertical component travels through the plate faster than the horizontal component. This is suggested by the schematic separation of the two ‘components on the optical axis, although of course both waves are simultaneously present at each point along the axis. The fast axis (FA) and slow axis (SA) direc tions of the plate are also indicated. When the net phase difference Ag = 90°, the retardation plate is called a quarter-wave plate; when it is 180°, itis called a half- wave plate. igure 14-9 Operation of a phase rtarder. Rotator. The rotator has the effect of rotating the direction of linearly po- larized light incident on it by some particular angle. Vertical linearly polarized light is shown incident on a rotator in Figure 14-10. The effect of the rotator clement is to transmit linearly polarized light whose direction of vibration has, in this case, ro- tated counterclockwise by an angle 8. ‘We desire now to create a set of matrices corresponding to these three types of polarizers so that, just as the optical clement alters the polarization mode of the ac- tual light beam, an clement matrix operating on a Jones vector will produce the same result mathematically. We adopt a pragmatic point of view in formulating appropri- ‘ate matrices. For example, consider a linear polarizer with a transmission axis along the vertical, as in Figure 14-8. Let a2 x 2 matrix representing the polarizer oper- ‘ate on vertically polarized light, and let the elements of the matrix to be determined Chap. 14 Matrix Treatment of Polarizationz Figure 14-10 Operation of a rotator. be represented by letters a, b, ¢, and d. The resultant transmitted or product light in this case must again be vertically linearly polarized light. Symbolically, a © f altl-() ‘This matrix equation is equivalent to the algebraic equations (0) + 0) = 0 (0) + d(1) = 1 from which we conclude b = 0 and d = 1. To determine elements a and c, let the same polarizer operate on horizontally polarized light. In this case no light is trans- mitted, or ‘a 6) [1] _fo alle) -[ ‘The corresponding algebraic equations are now a(!) + 6) =0 c(l) + a) =0 from which a = 0 and c = 0. We conclude here without further proof that the ap- propriate matrix is Ma iB ‘| linear polarizer, TA vertical (14-13) “The matrix fora linear polarizer, TA horizontal, can be obtained in a similar man- net and is included in Table 14-2, near the end of this chapter. Suppose next that the linear polarizer has a TA inclined at 45° to the x-axis. To keep matters as simple as possible we allow light lincarly polarized inthe same direction as—and perpendicu- Jar to—the TA to pass in tum through the polarizer. Following the approach used eSR-E) = EEE ‘Sec. 142 Mathematical Representation of Polarizers: Jones Matrices 291Equivalently, ato ctd=1 a-b=0 c-d=0 4}. Thus the correct matrix is waif 8] arpaaes tas 449 alin In the same way, a general matrix representing a linear polarizer with TA at angle 6 can be determined. This is left as an exercise for the student. The result is cos? 8 sin Oc0s 6 ~ le Ocos@ sin? 8 ] a which includes Eqs. (14-13) and (14-14) a8 special cases, with @ = 90° and @ = 45°, respectively Proceeding tothe case ofa phase retarder, we desire a matrix that will rans- form the elements Foe into Exe) and Exe into Eee"? Inspection is sufficient to show that this is accomplished by the matrix operation e% 0) [Ene] _ Ea 0 e%} LEge™} — [Eye Thus the general form of a matrix representing a phase retarder is = [6S] hase rtarer (1616) were nd 6 represent the vanes in pas ofthe an components of the incident ight. OF eae, ean may be nave anti, As 4 peice, consider a quarter-wave plate (QWP) for which |Ae| = 2/2. We distinguish the case for which €, — €, = 7/2 (SA vertical) from the case for which €, — € = 7/2 (SA horizontal). In the former case, then, let €, = —7/4 and €, = +/4, Obvi- cus ter chicesan infinite miner of them—are possible, so ta Jones a trices, like Jones vectors, are not unique. This particular choice, however, leads to a ‘common form of the matrix, due to its symmetrical form: en 0 wo | Similarly, when ¢ > 65 1 nen m= err[! waft 0 i [; °| QWP, SA vertical (14-17) 0 QWP, SA horizontal (14-18) Corresponding matrices for half-wave plates (HWP), where | Ae| = 7, are given by Chap. 14 Matrix Treatment of Polarizationong Ee lt al u=(“" © =e.) 9] HWP, SA horizontal (14-20) own eo, , SA horizontal - iC [et 3] nwesaverat ‘The elements of the matrices are identical in this case, since advancement of phase by 7 is physically equivalent to retardation by 7. The only difference lies in the prefactors that modify the phases of all the elements of the Jones vector in the same ‘way and hence do not affect interpretation of the results. ‘The requirement for a rotator of angle B is that an E-vector oscillating linearly at angle @ be converted to one that oscillates linearly at angle (@ + ). Thus the ma- trix elements must satisfy [: ‘| [ee 2 [ie +B) c¢ dj [sin @ sin (6 + B) cos @ + b sin @ = cos (0 + B) ccos @ + d sin 6 = sin (@ + B) From the trigonometric identities for the sine and cosine of the sum of two angles, cos (@ + B) = cos 8 cos B ~ sin @ sin B sin @ + B) = sin @ cos B + cos @ sin B it follows that cos b= -sinB s0 thatthe desired matrix is cos B -sin B M= laze el rotator through angle +8 (14-21) ‘The Jones matrices derived in this chapter are summarized in Table 14-2. As ‘an important example, consider the production of circularly polarized light by TABLE 14-2 SUMMARY OF JONES MATRICES 1. Linear polarizers rations [! 9] taseraa [2 © TE, Phase retarders eo cont [5.2 QWP, SA vertical onl) ro WP, SA hertzont oof 2] HWP, SA vertical els | HWP, SA horizontal el} Ee 1M, Rotator fem B snp Rotator > o+p) ay Sec. 14-2 Mathematical Representation of Polarizers: Jones Matrices 293Figure 14-11 Production of circularly polar ined ight combining a linear polarizer with a QWP. Let the linear polarizer (LP) produce light vibrating at an angle of 45°, as in Figure 14-11, which is then transmitted by the ‘QWP. In this arrangement the light incident on the QWP is divided equally between fast and slow axes. On emerging, a phase difference of 90° results in circularly po- larized light. With the Jones calculus, this process is equivalent to allowing the ‘QWP matrix to operate on the Jones vector forthe linearly polarized li fe Shah)- Gel o vil Vd giving right-circularly polarized light with amplitude 1/\V2 times the amplitude of changed, a similar calculation shows that the result is left-circularly polarized in- stead. Example Consider the result of allowing left-circularly polarized light to pass through an eighth-wave plate. Solution We first need a matrix that can represent the eighth-wave plate, phase retarder that introduces a relative phase of 22r/8 = 77/4, or 45°. ‘Thus, letting «, = 0, et 0 Tat) 0 e%} > Lo en ‘This matrix is then allowed to operate on the Jones vector representing the left circularly polarized light: [0 emedL=[etel = [ev] Chap. 14 Matrix Treatment of Polarization MPROBLEMS mite ‘The resultant Jones vector indicates that the light is elliptically polarized, and the components are out of phase by 135°, Using Euler's equation to expand "4, we obtain one-te (ty vat Wa and using our standard notation fr this case, we have se ana c = va" Vi ‘Comparing this matrix withthe general frm in Eq, (14-5), we determine that Eo, = 1 and Eo = |. Making use of Eq. (14-10), we also determine that a = ~45°. ; w-[pch F Of course, the Jones calculus can handle a case where polarized light is trans- d by a series of polarizing elements, since the product of element matrices can represent an overall system matrix. If light represented by Jones vector V" passes se- quentially through a series of polarizers represented by 2, Dts, Wea, -. . , Ram that is then the system matrix 22, = My, OR = MMM IY = M7 = MMM, 144. 142, 143, 144. 145. Chap. |. Derive the Jones matrix, Bq. (14-15), representing a linear polarizer whose transmis- sion axis is at an arbitrary angle @ with respect tothe horizontal. Wiite the normalized Jones vectors for each of the following waves, and describe completly the state of polarization of each, (2) E = 00s (kz ~ wr) ~ jo c0s (kz ~ ot) () E = isin an (z PD) + isin 2n(= — f) (©) B= thy sin (i ~ ot) + isin (te ~ an ~ 2) (@) E = thy cos ke ~ on) + Ecos (te ~ or +3) . Describe as completely as possible the state of polarization of each‘of the following waves, including amplitude and wave direction. Be careful to distinguish between the unit vector {and the complex number 7 = V=T (a) E = 2Eiet* (b) E = BxGi + aie (©) E = Sei — ie ‘Two linearly polarized beams are given by Ey = Eq(l ~ j) 008 (kz ~ ot) and Ep = Eaa(V3i + j) cos (kz — ot) Determine the angle between their planes of polarization by (2) forming their Jones vectors and finding the vibration direction of each and (b) forming the dot product of thei vector amplitudes, Find the character of polarized light after passing in turn through (a) a half-wave plate with slow axis at 45°; (b) a linear polarizer with transmission axis at 45°; (6) a quar- 14 Problems 295